What is Chiropractic?

A health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal adjustment and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation. World Federation of Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a health profession that focuses on the spine and other joints of the body and their connection to the nervous system. It’s based on the premise that good health depends substantially upon a normally functioning nervous system. Body parts, organs and cells function mostly under the control of nerve impulses to and from the brain and spinal cord.

Joint Dysfunction

When there is interference to this normal transmission, normal function is interfered with, and malfunction may result, predisposing a part of your body to pain or other disorder. In chiropractic this is called joint dysfunction or vertebral subluxation. Effects of joint dysfunction ›

The spinal cord leads to 31 pairs of spinal nerve roots that exit the spinal bones. Although the spine offers support and protection for the delicate and sensitive spinal cord and the nerve roots, it can also cause nerve interference when the spinal joints are jammed. You may have a ‘pinched’ or ‘irritated’ nerve.

Normal Movement

Scientific data shows that joints in your spine must move normally (in the right directions and through the full ranges) to remain healthy. If this movement stops or has abnormal motion the joint and connective tissues become damaged.

There is no direct blood supply to the cartilage surfaces in a joint (there is no space inside a joint for a blood vessel, and the loads a joint bears would squash it anyway), so movement is important to keep the joint healthy.

Cartilage Nutrition

This means that the cartilage nutrition must come from the ‘oil’ in the joint. This ‘oil’ acts as the ‘food’ as well as lubricant. If the spinal joint movement is restricted, ‘breakfast’ is not served.

The joint cartilage ‘starves’ and decays. Over time it cracks and fragments under loads, instead of being the resilient cushion it was designed to be. Then calcium infiltrates and develops spurs and deformities. Orthodox medicine calls this condition osteoarthritis, or spondylosis.

That is why chiropractors aim to improve spinal joint movement as they relive nerve interference. It's essential for the well-being of your spinal joints, to try to prevent severe spinal joint decay which can permanently harm your health.